A rare large archaic bronze ritual tripod food vessel (sheng ding) Warring States period

the wide flattened body of circular section, crisply cast overall with an exquisite 'hook-and-scroll' diaper of serpents with projecting feather-curls arranged in three horizontal registers around the waisted body, repeated on the inner faces of the squared arch handles flaring out away from the flattened everted rim, with three large scaly dragons clutching animatedly onto the sides of the vessel, their bifurcated tails flicked out and their sinuous bodies curling up to bite the rim, the top of the legs encircled by a further 'hook-and-scroll' diaper set with projecting scroll-form flanges, the surface with dark charcoal-gray patina

Acquired by the present owner in the early 1990s; prior to that, on the Japanese art market in the early 1980s.

Min Chiu Society, 1999 - 2000.
Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2001 - 2006.

Under UV light the vessel appears to be structurally in very good condition with only minor elements repaired. The tips of the tails and horns of the beast have been rebuilt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Sheng ding or 'waisted' tripod cauldrons of this elegant form and rich decoration are extremely rare in collections outside China, but are characteristic of the Warring States period when the religious rituals were performed with ever more impressive and technically challenging vessels. Lavish ceremonies were held, for example, to parade success in war, and bronze vessels were used in the preparation and service of food and drink for these extravagant banquets. Although many of the bronze forms originated in the Shang dynasty, shapes became more complex and designs more extravagant.

See a closely related pair of sheng ding, two of a set of nine inscribed with the name of Marquis Yi, unearthed from the tomb of Yi, Marquis of Zeng, who was interred around 433 BC in Sui county, Hubei province, and now preserved in the Hubei Provincial Museum, included in the exhibition War and Ritual: Treasures from the Warring States 475-221 B.C., Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1993, p. 50. Similar and even more elaborate sheng ding were also discovered at Xiasi, Xichuan district, Henan province; see Mysteries of Ancient China, The British Museum, London, 1996, cat.nos. 58 and 59, where it is noted (pp. 125f) that "the term sheng ding is given to the type of tripod seen here, with flat bottom and pronounced waist. The word sheng refers to the meat sacrifices that were offered in them." The sheng ding discovered in that tomb still contained bones of oxen (for the male occupant) and of pigs (for the female). Another related vessel with the same design elements, in the Anhui Provincial Museum is published in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji, vol. 10, Beijing, 1998, pl. 10.